If you hike 22.5 miles per day, leave Kennedy Meadows by June 17

In 2017 many people told me on trail that they wouldn't finish because they spent too much time trying to get through the Sierras, or waiting out the snow between Kennedy Meadows and Bishop.  After hiking 2,000 miles in 2017 and thru-hiking the PCT in 2018, I've talked to a lot of people that missed a thru-hike by 150 to 500 miles, or 660 miles for me in 2017.  For many people, their miss was predictable and avoidable.

2019 looks like another high snow year, so if a thru-hike is important to you, the schedule math below should be important to you as well.  Everything is keyed to your average hiking pace.  For a NOBO hiker that's often what you find comfortable when you hike the Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows section, or just a little above that pace. I've added a zero/resupply day every 8th day and set September 27th as your finish date in Manning Park, because weather usually gets dicey around then. 

There are speed adjustments for each section since the Sierras are a lot slower than Oregon.  More details on how I calculated trail days for each section, as well as a discussion of each trail section and flipping, are in this post: Calendar Math

		Average Pace in miles per day by Kennedy Meadows
Milestones		17.5	20.0	22.5	25.0	27.5
Campo (start)		22-Mar	15-Apr	3-May	18-May	30-May
Kennedy Meadows		18-May	4-Jun	17-Jun	27-Jun	5-Jul
Sierra City		28-Jun	9-Jul	18-Jul	25-Jul	31-Jul
Ashland		31-Jul	7-Aug	13-Aug	17-Aug	21-Aug
Cascade Locks		24-Aug	28-Aug	31-Aug	3-Sep	5-Sep
Manning Park (finish)		27-Sep	27-Sep	27-Sep	27-Sep	27-Sep

Here's a simple way to read this chart:

• Hiking pace of 20 miles per day or below:  In a high snow year, you have to increase your pace, or plan on a flip to finish.  It's unlikely that you will be able to go up into the Sierras safely and make good miles by early June.  In 2018, which was a low to moderate snow year, many people did successfully go up into the Sierras by early June.  Read this post for options:  Calendar Math  
• Hiking pace of 22.5 miles per day:  if you can get up into the Sierras by mid-June, a straight-thru hike should be in the cards.  But ... if you find the snow too slow or get tempted to "wait it out" you risk running out of time for a finish at the Northern Terminus.  Key point:  get back on trail rather than cool your heels for an extra week or two, even if it means a skip or flip.
• Hiking pace of 25 miles per day or longer:  you probably don't need this post to make the miles.  It might just be interesting context for you as you chat with slower hikers.

Putting all this math aside, just stay on trail and don't underestimate how long 2,661 miles takes to hike.  In 2018 I did not set out to do a thru-hike, but I did stay on trail and a thru-hike just sort of happened.  You can read about my 2018 hike here:  My Accidental Thru-Hike

Good luck, and enjoy your hike.  I'll be on the PCT in the Sierras in 2019.

Sweet and Spicy Ginger Cookies -- For Trail or Home

These cookies pack a sweet and spicy punch.  If bakery and commercial ginger snaps seem bland to you, then give this recipe a try.  This is a "double" recipe that makes about four dozen cookies.  Don't worry about overdoing it.  These cookies freeze well sealed in ziplock bags, and they also keep well backpacking due to a very low moisture content.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups dark coconut sugar or brown sugar
3 medium to large eggs
1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses
5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoons ground ginger

4 teaspoon dried lemon (or lemon zest)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (or ground cloves)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 cups unbleached white bread flour
2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour

20 ounces of candied ginger chips
1 cup (approx.) white sugar for rolling the dough

Directions:

1. Melt the butter using a double boiler until just melted, but not hot
2. Combine the butter and sugar, using an electric mixer
3. Add the eggs, and mix in
4. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix in
5. Add the spices and mix in
6. Add flour and mix in one cup at a time
7. Add the candied ginger and mix in

Let the dough cool in the refrigerator for 30+ minutes, as it will be easier to work with, and this will also help to bring out the spice flavors.  While the dough cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put silicone mats on your baking pans, or use a light coating of cooking oil.

1. Make dough balls of about 2 tablespoons and roll them in the white sugar before putting on the baking pan.  Alternately roll them in cinnamon sugar.
2. Bake until just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes (ovens vary significantly)
3. Immediately transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling for a ginger snap, or cool five minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack for a slightly chewier cookie.

Blackstrap molasses has a more bitter flavor than regular molasses.  If you have regular molasses on hand, you could adapt by slightly reducing the sugar.  King Arthur Flour works well for this recipe.

These cookies normally come out with a cracked top, but if you put two pans in at once, the lower pan may come out with a smooth top.  To correct this, put the lower pan in first, and follow with the top pan after 5 minutes.